Darwin to Litchfield Weekend Road Trip Itinerary + FREE Map

Litchfield is one of our favourite spots in the NT, and is one of the BEST weekend trips in the whole Top End.

It’s closer to Darwin and much easier to cover than Kakadu, so you can see the main spots in 2 days. You don’t need a 4WD either!

And we might be biased, but to 2 of our favourite swimming holes in all NT are there – Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole! Wangi Falls is up there as well.

If we only had a weekend, this is the route we’d do, with a bonus Monday if you can wrangle an extra day off work.

Road trip snapshot

• Distance: ~320km return (loop from Darwin through Litchfield and back)
• Drive time: ~6 hrs total driving over the weekend, depending on where you’re staying
• Areas covered: Berry Springs, Florence Falls, Wangi Falls, Tolmer Falls, Magnetic termite mounds. Optional: Tjaetaba and Tjaynera Falls.
• Best time: June to October (dry season), the falls are swimmable and the tracks aren’t flooded.
• Vehicle: 2WD for most of the trip, 4WD needed for Lost City and Tjaynera Falls.
• Pet-friendly: No, pet’s aren’t allowed inside the national park. But there are pet-friendly accommodations nearby like Litchfield Tourist Park.
• Good for: Anyone after a swim-filled nature fix with beautiful waterfalls that’s also easy to plan.

Day 1: Darwin to Litchfield via Berry Springs (Friday)

• Distance: ~120km
• Drive time: ~1.5hrs

Your first stop is Berry Springs, only 40 minutes out of Darwin. It’s a beautiful nature park with spring-fed pools, picnic areas and shady lawns.

We had a great time there and it’s a good one for families, especially if you want to make a relaxed half-day out of it with a swim and BBQ.

Just make sure to check if it’s open before heading there, here. It might close if there’s floodings or crocs have been spotted.

Litchfield accommodation

• Distance: ~65km
• Drive time: ~45min

After Berry Springs, it’s time to have dinner and check in your accommodation.

We recommend picking Litchfield Tourist Park for both, it’s a great base for the weekend. It’s the closest stay to Litchfield’s northern entrance and has a solid restaurant on site, plus it’s pet-friendly.

There’s also Batchelor, a small town a 10-min drive from Litchfield’s entrance. It’s the next best choice if you don’t want to stay in the tourist park, here are the top rated accommodations in Batchelor.

There are also several epic campsites inside Litchfield if you’re keen. We’d recommend the ones at Florence Falls or Wangi Falls, they’re 2WD-friendly and have lots of ammenities.

Day 2: Florence Falls and surroundings (Saturday)

• Distance: ~47km
• Drive time: ~45 min

Today starts with one of the weirder sights in the NT, before spending the rest of the day going from swim spot to swim spot!

Just make sure you have your NT park pass with you if you’re not a resident.

Magnetic termite mounds

This is an honestly bizarre natural phenomenon, where hundreds of magnetic termite mounds are all lined up north to south. Some up to 8 metres tall!

It’s a quick but fun stop, specially if it’s your first time there.

Florence Falls

Florence Falls is our favourite swimming spot in the whole NT. It’s a stunning double waterfall with a pool at the bottom, wrapped in monsoon forest.

It’s very popular, so we’d go early for a better chance at grabbing a good spot near the water!

Things to do at Florence Falls

• Florence Falls Plunge Pool: Walk down the 135 steps to swim beneath the falls, or just admire the view from the lookout above.
• Shady Creek Walk: The scenic way to get to the falls, it’s 1km (30-45min) and 100% worth doing it, at least on your way in!
• Camping: There are two campgrounds nearby, one 2WD and another 4WD. They have lots of facilities, so make sure to book ahead to save your spot and pay online (can’t pay on site).

Check out our list fo Litchfield’s best hikes for a few more options in the area.

Buley Rockhole

Buley Rockhole is our second favourite swimming spot in NT! It’s a series of refreshing rock pools, some deep, some shallow, so you can easily spend the whole arvo there.

It’s also one of the most kid-friendly swim spots in the park, so don’t miss it if you’re travelling with little ones.

There’s a small carpark at the entrance, but if it’s full, you can park at Florence Falls and walk the rest.

Day 3: Wangi Falls and surroundings (Sunday)

• Distance: ~55km
• Drive time: ~45 min

Sunday is all about the park’s biggest waterfall, a dramatic lookout, and if you’r’re on a 4WD, a detour to a landscape unlike anywhere else in the park.

Wangi Falls

Wangi Falls is the postcard shot of Litchfield. It’s a double-drop waterfall with a massive plunge pool, big enough for everyone.

It gets busy too, but it’s an excellent spot to make a full day of if you’ve got the time, with plenty of amenities and even a café.

Things to do at Wangi Falls

• Wangi Falls: Swim (crocodile monitoring permitting) at the park’s most famous waterfall and plunge pool.
• Wangi Falls Walk (Wangi Loop): A short circuit walk up onto the plateau above the falls for a different view. It’s moderately difficult with plenty of stairs involved, so pace yourself in the heat!
• Camping: The 2WD campground has some of the best facilities in Litchfield, including hot showers and the café! So make sure to book ahead to save your spot and pay online (can’t pay on site).

Tolmer Falls

From Wangi, drive ~10 mins south to do the easy Tolmer Falls loop, a 20-min walk that ends on one of the most dramatic lookouts in the park!

It’s one of the most impressive things we’ve seen, hands down. Even if there’s no swimming allowed the views are 100% worth the stop.

Lost City (4WD only)

This is a wild change of scenery from the waterfalls. It’s a maze of sandstone pillars that genuinely look like ancient ruins!

You’ll need a high-clearance 4WD to drive the 10km dirt road in. If your rig’s up for it, it’s worth the detour before heading back to Darwin!

Bonus: Tjaetaba & Tjaynera Falls (Monday)

If you’re on a 4WD and can take an extra day, this is where we’d spend it! Both falls sit away from the main tourist run, so you’ll get a bit of quiet even in peak season.

First it’s Tjaetaba Falls, a short, scenic hike to a sacred waterfall lookout.

It’s beautiful and relatively easy, plus you can swim at the top of the falls! Don’t swim at the plunge pool or the area downstream though, it’s an Aboriginal sacred site.

Then there’s Tjaynera Falls, a 4WD-only waterfall and swimming spot that takes a bit of a hike to reach. It’s the remote feel that makes it so special in our opinion.

The walk is 3.4km return and takes around 1.5 hours. It’s not hard by any means, but factor the time in, and start early if it’s hot, since the humidity makes it harder going (talking from experience).

If you end up loving the area like we did, know it’s also a solid jumping off point for a longer Top End loop including Kakadu National Park!

Planning your weekend road trip to Litchfield

Best time to go

The dry season (roughly May to October), is by far the best time for this trip. Most roads are open by June, falls are swimmable, and the weather is perfect for hiking.

The wet season (November to April) is the worst time to go. The summer rains flood the park so it’s pretty much closed during that time, plus it really turns into croc country.

We went in November and DO NOT recommend it.

Locals call it the “suicide month” because the heat and humidity before the summer rains are almost oppressive. Camping was almost unbearable, so if you’re visiting at that time, honestly it’s worth staying at a hotel with air con.

What to pack

• Swimmers, you’ll be in and out of the water all weekend
• Reef-safe sunscreen and a hat
• Insect repellent for the walking tracks
• Water shoes or old sandals for rock hopping at Buley Rockhole
• Plenty of drinking water, it’s easy to underestimate the heat
• Cash for the tourist park café
• Basic recovery gear if you’re heading out to Lost City or Tjaynera Falls in a 4WD

Top tips

Get to Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole early on Saturday, both fill up fast by mid morning, especially on weekends.

Check the NT parks website before you leave Darwin for any croc alerts or closures, especially after heavy rain. And don’t forget your park pass if you’re not a resident.

If you’re only doing 2WD, you can still see almost everything on this list except Lost City and Tjaynera Falls, so don’t feel like you’re missing out!

FAQs